Stuck in Paradise
by popularsecrets
Summary: When Hermione and Draco find themselves stuck in the Room of Requirement, it leads to beautiful magic, uncovered secrets, and the growth of...love? Their walls are gradually broken down and rebuilt with the help of each other. DracoxHermione. R&R!


**Bonjour, my little Dramione fanatics! I'm back again with a different story this time. I've actually really enjoyed stories about the Room of Requirement, so I decided, "What the hay?" and started this little number right here. Just a little forewarning:**

**Some of the stuff here is non-compliant with a few itty-bitty facts. So don't get your wand in a twist and go crazy when you find something that seems a bit off.**

**- Voldemort was defeated a few months prior to this story**

**- Dumbledore is still alive**

**- Ron and Hermione and NOT together (*cringes* eww, gross)**

**Presently, I'm not exactly sure where the story's gonna go, but I do have a rough outline in my head, so we'll just have to wait and see!**

**Anyways, here's the story. I hope you like it! (And always remember, READ AND REVIEW!)**

**DISCLAIMER: Well DUH, of course I own the HP world! Actually, I don't. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling (even though she's a muggle) *runs away crying***

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><p>It was an age-old myth that had slowly lost its strength as it was passed on through hundreds of generations. The myth that Hogwarts itself was a living, breathing creature, supplying the hidden means of miniscule magic that can be felt in the endless hallways and corridors of the amazing academy.<p>

But the truth is, it wasn't a myth.

The young witches and wizards of today believe that the moving staircases and talking portraits are enchanted to do so. But in reality, it was anything but.

When the original creators of Hogwarts began planning for the masterpiece that would become Hogwarts, the entire plan was based on one sincere cause:

The actual _life_ of magic.

Magic that would freely flow through the bricks and stones of the castle, giving the school a mind of its own.

An enchanted school would only open the horizons to the world of magical studies for the future attendants of Hogwarts. And so with the brave goals in mind, the creators lifted the walls and halls of Hogwarts.

A school that would never die.

A school that would _be_ magnificent and _teach_ magnificence.

A school that would be _simply magical_.

Any student in the past and present would undeniably agree that the Room of Requirement is the most ... _unique_ room in the school.

But did anyone know that it was never actually planned?

No, this room was created by the school itself. After decades of learning and adapting, the mind of Hogwarts itself created the Room of Requirement. It appeared every now and then for students who Hogwarts believed really _required_ its presence. It would help them with a problem they had, a problem that was coming, or a problem that they didn't know they had. The Room had nothing but well-wishes, hoping and aspiring for any promising developments for the various students in the mystical school.

The Room has only made itself appear in the most necessary of cases. When it knew it had to retaliate.

Some would call it meddling, but the Room would call it a nudge in the right direction.

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><p>She had forgotten how scary Hogwarts was late at night.<p>

After spending endless hours in the library researching for her Charms essay and Transfiguration exam, Hermione Granger had lost track of time. When she realized that even Madame Pince left for the night, she realized that it was too late for anymore work to be done and decided to turn in for the night. On her way out, she gasped as she caught a peek at the tower clock and saw that it was two in the morning.

_Oh Hermione, even you forget how nerdy you are sometimes_, she thought to herself. She sighed as she walked through the dark corridor. _Well, what else am I supposed to do?_She was struck by the realization that she was feeling very lonely. After she and Ron had reinstated the "Only-Friends" boundary line, he had found solace in Hannah Abbott and had blossomed an unexpected relationship with her. With Harry and Ginny together too, she was left all alone. With no one to really turn to, she threw herself into her studies. She spent hours upon hours in the library, finding the silent whispers amongst the musty shelves and old books her only companions.

She sighed once more. Maybe it was time for her to find a boyfriend. After all, everyone else seemed to be getting into the whole relationship business. Maybe she should try-

She scoffed. Even _she_ couldn't finish that sentence. With a sad smile, she wondered how in the world someone like her, Hermione Granger, would find a guy interested in a boring, barely-female bookworm. With a depressing shake of her head, she abandoned the thought and continued on her way to the Gryffindor dorms.

Just then, she heard footsteps. And voices.

She nearly dropped her books. It was almost four and a half hours past curfew. If anyone caught her this late, she would be dead for sure. She frantically began searching for a crevice, a hole, _anything_, that would hide her from searching eyes.

The footsteps got closer. And they doubled. _Oh Godric, there's two of them?_ She yelled in her head. Feeling against the walls because of the darkness, she continued to look for anything that would hide her. _Please, please, please, Oh Gods, please._

She swore she heard a deep chuckle reverberate from the walls.

Suddenly, her hand caught onto a cold, metal doorknob. She nearly squealed, but caught herself before she did and ducked into the door. She didn't care where it led to, as long as she was safe.

She sighed in relief with her back to the door. _Thank Gods I made it. I can't imagine what would've-_

Her thoughts were cut short as she took in her surroundings.

"Oh…"

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><p>Draco was tired of holding everything in.<p>

He had spent the better of the last four hours in the abandoned boy's bathroom on the seventh floor, broken beyond repair. With tear stains across his cheeks and on his white button-down shirt, he had been sitting in the dark, alone.

Yes, Draco Malfoy was crying.

He was sick and tired of putting on the mask of disgust and hate. He had been driven over the edge by one word.

_Guilty._

His mother and father had been tried in Wizengamot court for their crimes against society that morning. With Voldemort defeated and a reward on every Death Eater's head, his parents were were inevitably headed for Azkaban. But it wasn't this that had upset him so much. By a unanimous vote, the Wizangamot court had sentences them not to life imprisonment, but the Dementor's Kiss.

The cold, chilling, soul-sucking kiss of the foulest creature in all of the Wizarding World.

When he had expected them to be sent for a prison sentence, he admittedly wasn't that sad. He had anticipated for that to happen for over five years.

But when he had heard of the actual sentence, he broke down.

Draco was terrified of Dementors. He dreamt of them when he was younger, imagining their ragged cloaks flying through the bone-chilling wind, their bony fingers grabbing at him.

Their cold, hard lips of torture.

He was still scared of them. Just the thought of them coming near his parents made him shiver.

But why was he hiding?

Because he didn't want anyone to see him like this. He didn't want anyone to know that he, Draco Malfoy, was weak.

He loved his parents.

Sure they were cruel and relentless, but they were _his parents_. Although his mother was a bit more loving than his father, he couldn't deny the unconditional love for his family.

But that didn't mean he agreed with them. Call him crazy, but he didn't actually want to be a Death Eater. He didn't...believe in what Voldemort envisioned.

But no one was to know that.

With a sigh, he shifted positions and rubbed his tired eyes with a cold hand. It was late, and his red, puffy eyes were burning from crying and tiredness.

_Tap, tap, tap._

Draco froze. Footsteps rang out in the silent hall. _Someone's coming_, he thought. He mentally smacked himself on the forehead.

Filch would be patrolling the corridors at this hour.

He had scrambled to his feet and hid in the corners when he heard the old man's footsteps approach. Holding his breath, he tucked himself deeper into the shadows as he got closer and closer.

But Filch just walked right past him.

Draco let out a sigh of relief. He waited until he was positive the old man was gone and came out from his hiding spot.

"Meow."

Draco nearly jumped out of his shoes from fright.

Mrs. Norris had found him. She sat down with her tail high and began meowing really loudly.

"Mrs. Norris?" Filch's voice called. Draco glared at the cat, not knowing what to do. If he waited there, Filch would definitely find him. If he just ran away, he would run into Filch. So he did the only logical thing he could think of.

He kicked the cat.

With a loud screech, Mrs. Norris went flying. Call it animal cruelty, but Draco was never one for cats. In fact, they bothered him. Very much.

"Mrs. Norris?" Filch yelled. Draco heard the man's footsteps quicken. Draco would inevitably run into him, but he had the element of surprise on his side. Counting to three, he timed his exit so that he would run right into Filch. Like a gunshot, Draco was out and running. Filch nearly fell over in surprise.

"Oi! You! Stop right there!" Filch screamed. Draco just ran faster and faster. After turning multiple corners, he slowed to a stop and smiled. _Ha, got away._

But what was that sound. The sound of...footsteps? It was Filch! And considering how fast his footsteps were, he was fast.

Really fast.

_What the hell? _Draco thought. Just then, Filch rounded the corner.

"You there!" Draco just turned and ran. This man was fast. He needed a place to hide. A place to regroup.

But where?

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><p>Hermione couldn't believe her eyes. There she was, standing in the middle of a field of green grass and flowers. Soft clouds dotted a bright blue sky that sported a soothing sun that casted warmth and light over the field<p>

She was in awe.

The field was covered in waist high grass. It billowed and danced in the soft breeze, leaning left and right like a stage of dancers. Moving and breathing as one. Out beyond, the field extended to become a more open area with shorter grass and flowers. In fact, it looked like a freshly-mowed lawn (Hermione's favorite), only like a thousand times the size of a normal one. Flowers scattered the field, swaying with the grass.

Out in right end of the field was a small lake with a dock. The water was clear and blue, with water shimmering like crystals in the light. She could barely make out a small rowboat tied to the dock by a thin rope.

But in the middle of it all, there was a tree.

It was a bigger and taller than the Womping Willow. Its branches were thicker than the size of Hagrid (which was saying something) and stuck out in all directions. It had green leaves that reminded her of the ones on the maple tree she had back home. The leaves rustled in the wind, whispering in tiny voices with the breeze.

Hermione wouldn't help but smile to herself.

She had found paradise.

Forgetting all about her narrow escape from certain capture, she took a step forward and decided to explore her new oasis.

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><p>Panting heavily, Draco tucked himself in a dim corner, praying to the Gods that his pale skin and even paler hair wouldn't give him away in the darkness. He muffled his breaths and made himself as small as possible as he heard Filch pass.<p>

He needed a quick getaway. Draco felt the familiar pang in his chest.

No, he needed to get away from _here._

As he went to run again, he leaned to his left to get out of the corner when he felt his hand brush something hard. His eyes searched for the source.

It was a doorknob.

Where the door led to, he didn't know. But something in his gut told him to go in. Besides, he knew it would get him away from there and away from Filch. Hoping that it was somewhere useful, he turned the cold knob and entered the room. It would probably only be a broom closet anyways.

With his back to the inside of the room, he closed the door as quickly and quietly as possible. He sighed in content as the knob clicked in place.

But something was off.

Why was his back suddenly so warm? Was that a slight breeze that just ruffled his hair. He turned around was shocked at what he saw.

Was it the green field of grass and flowers that surprised him? Or the lake to his right? Nope.

It was the brunette standing right in front of him.

"Granger?"

**Alright, there's the first chapter. Like every other author out there, I would love some reviews! I'm gonna get started on the next chapter ASAP, but I'm sure some reviews would help me churn out my words a bit faster ;) Thanks guys!**

**Mischief Managed,**

**popularsecrets**


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